IBM teams with Rapid Addition for ultra-low latency
High frequency trading specialist Rapid Addition has partnered with IBM to provide an ultra-low latency service for financial firms that are very sensitive to speed.
News
National Bank of Abu Dhabi keeps watch over ATMs
The National Bank of Abu Dhabi has adopted a monitoring service from Canadian technology company Inetco Systems, which it says will enable it to better keep track of its ATMs and ensure they are working properly.
Barclays appoints Thomson to lead London corporate banking service
Barclays has appointed Nicki Thomson as head of business services for corporate banking. In her new role, Thomson will lead a team of relationship directors tasked with providing lending and banking support to the business services sector.
National Bank of Canada embraces Orc algos
The National Bank of Canada is to use algorithmic trading tools and market access from Nordic technology company Orc, through its subsidiary National Bank Financial.
Breaking News: TSYS to Acquire NetSpend in $1.4 Billion Deal
Feb. 19, 2013 Payments processor TSYS has agreed to purchase GPR card provider NetSpend for $1.4 billion in cash. The deal, which TSYS chairman and CEO Philip W. Tomlinson calls “a transformational event for TSYS and consumers,” brings 2.4 million prepaid card accounts and 500 retail distributors under the TSYS umbrella. TSYS is conducting a conference call […]
People on the Move: Marc E. Rothman and Jay Parsons, VeriFone Systems Inc. (February 2013)
February 2013 VeriFone Systems Inc., a San Jose, Calif.-based payment solutions provider, has appointed Marc E. Rothman to executive vice president and chief financial officer, and Jay Parsons to senior vice president, digital media and taxi operations. Rothman joined Motorola Inc. through the acquisition of General Instrument in 2000, and eventually rose to become worldwide […]
People on the Move: Tony Hodge, TSYS (February 2013)
February 2013 TSYS has promoted Tony Hodge to executive vice president of application systems for its North America segment. A 30-year TSYS veteran, Hodge has held numerous IT leadership positions, and currently is responsible for more than 1,000 IT professionals. During his tenure at TSYS, he has received numerous leadership awards, including the James H. […]
People on the Move: Steering Committee, Smart Card Alliance Payments Council (February 2013)
February 2013 Smart Card Alliance Payments Council has announced its committee members for 2013-2014. The council is managed by a steering committee composed of financial payments industry and smart chip technology vendors. Steering committee officers include: Jack Jania, Gemalto, and Oliver Manahan, MasterCard, co-chairs; Troy Bernard, Discover Financial Services, vice chair; and Deborah Baxley, Capgemini, secretary. […]
People on the Move: Robert Seward, North American Bancard (February 2013)
February 2013 North American Bancard, a Troy, Mich.-based provider of the PayAnywhere mobile POS payment solution, announced that Robert Seward has joined the company as vice president of product management. He oversees the company’s product strategy, planning, management and the delivery technology solutions to merchant customers. Seward joins NAB after leading ACI Worldwide’s merchant retail […]
People on the Move: Dana Vento, GiftCards.com (February 2013)
February 2013 GiftCards.com, a subsidiary of Pittsburgh-based Wolfe LLC, has hired Dana Vento, aka “Pittsburgh Frugal Mom” and founder of PittsburghFrugalMom.com, as social media manager. She will be part of a growing team responsible for broadening the company’s social media platform. Vento spent the last several years creating a successful consumer education blog, focusing on […]
People on the Move: Jon Leibowitz, Federal Trade Commission (February 2013)
February 2013 Federal Trade Commission Chairman Jon Leibowitz stepped down Feb. 15, 2013, to pursue work in the private sector. He has served as chairman since March 2009, and as a commissioner since September 2004. While the FTC regulates anticompetitive, deceptive and unfair practices in general, Leibowitz’s tenure has been recognized for aggressive consumer and […]
People on the Move: Chris Cresswell, Oliver Smith, Renata Burdon, Alexis Wilson and Andy Ireland, Contis Group (February 2013)
February 2013 Contis Group, a U.K.-based provider of online banking and prepaid card technologies and services, has enhanced its domestic and international capabilities with the addition of five hires. Chris Cresswell joins Contis as sales and business development director. Formerly with LaSer UK, Cresswell has experience in the cards and loyalty sector and will be […]
People on the Move: Steve Antonakes, Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (February 2013)
February 2013 The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) recently announced that Steve Antonakes will serve as acting deputy director while the agency searches for a replacement for Raj Date. As Antonakes assumes this temporary role, he will maintain responsibility for his current duties as associate director for supervision, enforcement and fair lending, which he began […]
Sightline Launches Casino Gaming Prepaid Card Program (Feb. 19, 2013)
Feb. 19, 2013 Sightline Interactive, a provider of payment services to the gaming industry, and its partner Vantiv have inked a deal with Northern California’s Colusa Casino to create a GPR prepaid card that works in tandem with the casino’s closed-loop loyatly card. The open-loop Discover-branded Loyalty Card Plus initially will be distributed to the casino’s “best […]
Citi Targets Latin America with M-Payment Service for Small Business Buyers, Suppliers (Feb. 19, 2013)
Feb. 19, 2013 Citigroup Inc. plans to expand a mobile payments service it has developed for its small-business customers to replace large cash payments in underbanked regions into Latin America. Citi recently launched a pilot of Mobile Collect in the Dominican Republic, targeting approximately 80,000 cash-based grocery stores and other small businesses and their suppliers. […]
PCI Security Standards Council Issues Mobile Payment Guidance (Feb. 19, 2013)
Feb. 19, 2013 The PCI Security Standards Council (PCI SSC) has issued guidance to educate merchants on the factors and risks they need to address to protect card data when using mobile devices, such as smartphones and tablets, to accept payments. Because consumer mobile devices are not solely used as point-of-sale tools, but also carry […]
Chase, MasterCard Look to Seed Loyalty with Kenyan Student Card (Feb. 19, 2013)
Feb. 19, 2013 Chase Bank (Kenya) and the University Students Community Organization (UNISCOO) have teamed up to launch a new MasterCard-branded prepaid card for Kenya’s college students. The UNISCOO card will enable students to shop in stores and online anywhere MasterCard is accepted and receive specially targeted discounts and promotional offers from merchants. Available at […]
Buck Touts ‘Dongle-Free’ Mobile Invoicing Service (Feb. 19, 2013)
Feb. 19, 2013 Buck Corp. is introducing a new mobile invoice service for small businesses that it touts as “dongle-free,” enabling businesses to send electronic invoices to any mobile phone and receive credit card payment without swiping a card. Buck Mobile Invoice is free to businesses using it, but participants must already have a merchant […]
Rule Financial expands team with Knight Capital London ops head
Consulting and IT specialist Rule Financial has hired Emily Cates as a principal consultant. Based in the London office, Cates joins Rule Financial with over 18 years of experience.
EBS and Thomson Reuters target FX transparency
Rival FX platforms EBS and Thomson Reuters have agreed that they will cooperate to combine the sources for their FX pricing, in a bid to increase transparency for FX market participants.
People prefer banks for mobile payments, says VocaLink
Banks may have a poor reputation with the public, but the majority of people in the UK would be more likely to adopt mobile payment services if they are provided by a bank.
NYSE Technologies adds social media sentiment tool
Market participants using NYSE Technologies’ market data feed SuperFeed and SFTI network will soon be able to get social media sentiment statistics, following a deal between NYSE and specialist company Social Market Analytics.
India’s ICICI teams with mobile operator for Visa service
Indian bank ICICI and local mobile operator Aircel have launched a mobile financial services offering using Visa’s hosted platform solution.
Online bank Holvi plans European banking revolution
A new start-up bank from Finland plans to open across Europe, using an online-only service that it says will redefine what it means to have a bank account.
Finovate Europe sees arrival of the Old Guard
For an event that is based around the idea of introducing new players and new concepts to the financial technology world, this year’s Finovate Europe was heavy on familiar faces and some increasingly familiar concepts.
Competitors blast lack of competition among exchanges
Senior market participants have expressed outrage that exchanges continue to charge high fees for market data, while MTFs still lack the means to compete on auctions and are not represented on international indices.
Visa, MasterCard Proposed Debit EMV Network-Routing Options Fail to ‘Fully Satisfy’ Debit Industry Group (Feb. 14, 2013)
Feb. 14, 2013 Pressure is mounting for U.S. debit networks to find a suitable technology for routing chip-based debit transactions under the Durbin Amendment network non-exclusivity rules, but a unified plan is not yet within sight, industry executives say after a new round of meetings this week to digest last week’s developments. MasterCard Inc. and […]
Visa Launches Mobile Money Program for Developing Nations (Feb. 14, 2013)
Feb. 14, 2013 A new “plug-and-play” mobile money platform from Visa Inc. is aimed at enabling financial institutions and mobile network operators in developing nations around the world to offer mobile financial services. The program—built on technology Visa acquired via its 2011 purchase of mobile financial services provider Fundamo—enables the payment network to host and […]
Retailers Explore Mobile/Social Media Intersection at InComm Partner Alliance (Feb. 14, 2013)
Social media and mobile now are intertwined, according to panelists who participated in Tuesday’s panel on The Power of Social Media in Business at the InComm Partner Alliance in Miami.
Dems' Push for Cordray Vote is ‘Political Theater’ (Feb. 14, 2013)
Feb. 14, 2013 Three members of the Senate Banking Committee yesterday demanded that Republicans “end unprecedented obstruction” of former Ohio Attorney General Richard Cordray’s nomination as director of the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB). Sens. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.), Jack Reed (D-R.I.) and Sherrod Brown (D-Ohio) assert that several Senate Republicans have stalled Cordray’s confirmation in […]
Enservio Patents Co-Party Activation Card for Insurance Claims (Feb. 14, 2013)
Feb. 14, 2013 Needham, Mass.-based Enservio, which provides software and services to property insurers, has been awarded a patent by the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office on what the company claims is the industry’s first co-party activation debit card for insurance claims payments. Since its debut three years ago, Enservio’s ReStore Card debit card has been utilized for some […]
Mobile malware headache looms for security managers
A 400% increase in malware for mobile devices masks a security scene where many of the threats are much as they have been for several years – but where the volume of attacks means that firms should think in terms of when they will be attacked rather than if they will be.
BME chief calls for less debt, more equity
Bank deleveraging may inadvertently spur a revival of equity markets, Antonio Zoido, chairman and chief executive at Spanish exchange group BME told delegates at the World Exchange Congress in London yesterday.
Rising stars dominate World Exchange Congress
Emerging markets Brazil, India and Turkey took the spotlight at yesterday’s World Exchange Congress event in London, as senior executives highlighted rising technological investment, growing competition and successful index performance.
OTC derivatives reforms must be global, says DTCC
As new rules for the reporting of OTC derivatives draw closer around the globe, US post-trade services utility the DTCC is positioning itself as the provider of a global network of trade repositories – but OTC derivatives reform will only work if consistent measures are taken everywhere, says Stewart Macbeth, president and chief executive at the DTCC.
Trio of Senate Democrats Stage Event Today to Defend CFPB, Push for Cordray’s Confirmation (Feb. 13, 2013)
Feb. 13, 2013 Three members of the Senate Banking Committee will hold a press conference today at 2:30 p.m. at the U.S. Capitol to discuss the future of the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) and how Senate Republicans are “circumventing the traditional democratic process” by stalling on the confirmation of its director, Richard Cordray. Sens. […]
Temenos debuts LiveDesigner at Finovate Europe
Financial systems supplier Temenos made something of a splash at the Finovate Europe conference in London with the launch of LiveDesigner, a dynamic user interface designer.
PermataBank pilots BlackBerry Messenger Payments with Monitise
Indonesia-based PermataBank has developed the first mobile payments service for the BlackBerry Messenger service. The bank has teamed up with UK mobile banking solutions provider Monitise to roll out a commercial pilot of BBM Money in the country ahead of a full launch. BlackBerry users will have the option to access a Mobile Money account from their […]
EDM Council hires DoD veteran to lead FIBO standards work
The Enterprise Data Management Council has appointed Dennis Wisnosky to lead the implementation process for its Financial Industry Business Ontology – FIBO – suite of standards. Wisnosky is a veteran of the data management world, having previously acted as the chief technology officer and chief architect in the US Department of Defense Business Mission Area, […]
NFC-Based Navigation System Set for Tokyo Shopping District (Feb. 12, 2013)
Feb. 12, 2013 Shoppers are getting some help navigating Tokyo’s Ginza district from nearly 300 NFC-based location tags the city’s government has placed throughout the upscale retail hub. The system works with an Android app, available for download from the Google Play store, which enables users to search for and select a destination within Ginza, […]
